MLA Report Formatting

The main steps in creating an MLA research paper are: Set margins to 1 inch Set document to double space (Ctrl 2) Create header Enter 4 parts of report information (student name, instructor, class, date) Enter title – center aligned (Ctrl E) Type body of paper Type Works Cited page

The margins for an MLA paper are: Top margin = 1 inch Left margin = 1 inch Right margin= 1 inch Bottom margin = 1 inch

Line spacing should be set to double space. Use 12 point Times New Roman font.

Header Your last name and the page number. The alignment for the header should be right aligned. How: go to view and select header from the list. Type your information in the header box, highlight it, and hit the right justify selection.

Report Information Located at the top left corner double spaced Include: Student Name Teacher Name Course Date (day/month/year style)

Title Press enter once Center align the title of your paper. Note: MLA standard format for the title of a book has changed from underline to italics.

Typing the Report The first line of each paragraph should have a .5 tab. You do not press enter twice at the end of a paragraph to begin a new paragraph. The document is double spaced already.

Quotes that are four lines or longer Indented one inch. Quotes that are less than four lines should be within the paragraph and at the end of the quote do not put your period yet, you should type a parentheses then type the last name of the author and the page number from the reference you used and then close the parentheses Example: (Craddock 1).

Works Cited page Created on a separate page You will use the same margins, line spacing, and header as the report body. Center the Works Cited title at the top margin. The references are then listed alphabetically by the authors’ last names. The list is double spaced Type references using a hanging indent.

Works Cited page

Footnotes and Endnotes Because long explanatory notes can be distracting to the reader, APA and MLA academic styles recommend limited use of footnotes (an explanation at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (an explanation at the end of a document).  But if footnotes/endnotes are required, they should include the following information: Author (first name then last name) followed by a comma Title of the book (in italics), article (in quotation marks), or Web page Name of publication, volume, number, and/or date followed by a colon Page number(s) where the material is located, followed by a period If a Web page, also include URL address enclosed in angle brackets < >

Here are the steps to insert a footnote:  Position insertion point after text to footnote Click the References tab on menu Click the Insert Footnote button Type note text.

Short Cut Keys Ctrl I = italicize Ctrl L = left align Ctrl C = copy Ctrl X = cut Ctrl V = paste Ctrl 1 = single space Ctrl 2 = double space  Ctrl L = left align Ctrl E = center align Ctrl R = right align Ctrl B = bold Ctrl U = underline The ones listed are easy to remember and can help you be very productive.

Title Page in MLA Place your report title about one third of the way down your paper. Place your name about two inches below the title. Place your class information about two inches below your name.